Judge Dredd

I first saw this film in Asia, and thought it was an OK action/sci-fi film (Max von Sydow gave the film his blessing). But when I returned to the U.S. shortly afterwards, I was surprised by how much the film was being vilified. And the reviews didn't seem to bear any relation to the film I saw in Asia. There seems to be an anti-Stallone lobby in the U.S., which attacks every film he makes (even some of the better ones like Cliffhanger and Assassins). I simply don't get it. He happens to have appeared in some of the best action films of the last decade or two. He still commands 8-figure salaries for every film. He lives like some kind of Olympian god. OK, so 'Get Carter' was a pale, pale (PALE) shadow of the original (though beautifully photographed!), but Sylvester Stallone is as big as Jackie Chan overseas. This might make some of you glad that you aren't overseas. It makes me glad that I am (that and the low cost of living). Keep up the good/bad work, Sly!

Sylvester Stallone did a great job as the stern Judge Dredd from the 2000 A.D. comic book.

I used to read a lot of the early Judge Dredd stories in 2000 A.D. Dredd was a law enforcer in a future time where there were no juries, no trials, just instant justice dispensed on the spot. If you were guilty the emotionless Dredd would issue whatever punishment he saw fit.

Back to the movie anyway. It's not always easy to translate a comic book hero to the big screen without changing things but they did a great job with this movie. If you were to look at a photo of Stallone in this movie and compare it to a drawing of the comic book Dredd you would see no difference. Stallone was Dredd down to a tee.

The story is great as well. Dredd is accused of a crime he did not commit and he must prove his innocence. The action scenes in the movie were fantastic.

All in all, a brilliant film. I just wish there'd have been a sequel.

In the future the world has been scorched and is uninhabitable. The cities are overflowing and cramped. Violence and crime has gotten to the stages that the courts and juries of the past were unable to cope. The Judges were planned to be police, judge and executioners – the ultimate law keepers. The strictest of these is Judge Dredd. However Dredd's history is revealed when his long-forgotten genetic twin escapes from captivity and kills high ranking council members. The DNA evidence points to Dredd and he is sentenced accordingly. However he escapes with hacker Fergie and returns to the city to try and stop Rico's plan for his own laws.

It's been a few years since I saw this in the cinema and I thought I'd give it another go. However I had only average memories of it – memories that were pretty close to the mark now that I've seen it again. The film starts reasonably well and has a good little bit of humour in it – the recycling bot that says `recycle waste for food, it's good for the environment and OK for you!' is my favourite! However any nice touches like this and any debate on the nature of the Judges is quickly lost in a by-the-numbers blockbuster.

The action is OK but not great and the film doesn't manage to ever really have a genuine sense of excitement or tension. Director Cannon is much better at style than substance and here he proves that again. The cartoon violence will be OK for teenagers but is too basic and undemanding for many I think. The cityscapes are quite good but a tad OTT. Bladerunner got it pitch perfect all those years ago and every film since has tried to up the ante unnecessarily.

Stallone is a pretty good choice for Dredd because of his strong chin. I didn't care less if he removed his helmet or not, but his constant speaking in catchphrases did annoy me a bit. Oh – and I've heard a life time of `law' and `court' puns and kiss-off lines. Schneider is a misjudged comedy sidekick, he isn't used well and just gets in the way. The film would have been better without his `relief' and gone darker. Assante is a strong villain and the council is full of famous faces. Lane has nothing to do as Judge Hershey.

Overall this is a cartoon for teenagers and those just looking for lots of bangs. However, even for that crowd this may prove a little basic – I wanted it to be more sophisticated than it was and be darker (but not just violent as it has been misinterpreted as here). Maybe worth a watch with a beer and pizza but the fact that we haven't been treated to a JD2 speaks volumes.

JUDGE DREDD

Now the thing about this movie is everyone hates it… except me.

The movie is about a law enforcer set in the future that gets falsely accused of murder and is sentenced to life imprisonment. He escapes and is on a mission to try and find the person who set him up.

Anyone that has read the comics hated this film due to the fact that is apparently so different to the comics. From what I have been told, Dredd never takes off his helmet and reveals his face. Not in this film. His helmet is taken off within 15 minutes of the movies start. I never read the comic so I don't know any other differences, but that is probably why I enjoyed it.

This film has a very 90s feel to it. It reminds me in a way to Demolition Man. They are both set in the future and are both really good action movies, although Demolition Man is better. I do love the action films from the 90s. They have a good over the top feel to them.

The acting is alright in it considering it is a cheesy action movie. The movie stars Sylvester Stallone as Dredd. He looks uncomfortable in this role some of the time, but then Stallone does not suit some roles. A young Diane Lane plays his partner. She does a pretty good job. I was very surprised to see a cameo from one of my favourite singers… the legendary Ian Dury. He only had a very small part, but he was really good.

The effects and explosions were really good and well done. But that is what was expected from the action films of that era. The gun fights were completely over the top too… in a good way. I also loved the giant robot in the film. It was one of my favourite characters.

If you like cheese, Sly Stallone, futuristic films and never read the Dredd comics… then I can't see why you would hate this.

I will give it 7 out of 10.

"I am the law!"

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I would hardly call this a Judge Dredd movie. While it starts off promising with an intriguing premise and great production design, the film quickly devolves into a typical Stallone action film. It's cliched, lacking in a good story, and missing something special. This is an interesting character that gets tossed aside pretty quickly so Stallone can take his helmet off and do his usual shtick. I don't dislike Stallone, but he seemed like an odd choice for this film.